Improvement in operating-devices tor water-closets



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Letters Patent No. 98,149, dated December 2]., 1869.

The Schedule referred to :in these Letters Patent and making part of the same To all whom it may concern.:

' Be it known that I,'BENJAMIN It. COLE, of the city of Buialo', in the county of Erie, and State of N ew York, have invented a certa-in ne`w and useful Improvement in Self-Acting Water-Closets; and I dol hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part otl this speciticatiou. Two methods of operating the valves of waterclosels are in ordinary use, viz, by pressure on the seat, and by means ot' a. pull, .as it is termed, ar-

ranged at one side.` v Both of these methods are found objectionable. 'lhe former, on account ot' the grea-t waste of water, as the valve remains open during the whole of the time the seat is occupied; the latter, on account ot' the liability ot' the party using the closet ii'tiliug, either from ignorance, indifference, or forgett'ulness, to properly operate the pull.

The object of my improvement is to obvate these objections, by preventing, on the one band, all unnecessary waste of water, and, on the other hand', insuring the proper opening of the' valve after every'use o f the closet.

,lhe invention consists in'connecting the lever, which 'actuates the pan and valve, with a hinged foot-board, in sueh a manner that the weightot' the occupant of the closet, as 11e rises from the seat, will depress the! foot-board and open the valve, the level' and connecting-rod being vso weighted and adjusted t-hat the pressure of the occupants feet, while sitting, will be insutlicient to open the valve. v

In the accompanying drawing yFigure I is a front elevation of a-water-closet, with the casing removed to exhibit the. mechanism.

Figure Il is a similar end elevation.

Like letters refer to like parts in each of the iigures.

A is the ordinary seat of a water-closet-,aml B, the bowl or basin thereof. l

C is the lever employed in actuating the pan and valve, having its fulcrmn at c, the valve being shown at D.

lhe construction and arrangement o f this valve, and the manner of connecting it with the lever, are diii'erent in the different devieesqiat-ented and in use, the construction and operation of which are well un-k derstood, to all of which my improvement is applicable.

C is ashort arm or extension of the lever;

E is Ya bot-board, hinged in front; and

F, al pull-rod connecting the back and free edge of this board with the end of the extension-arm C'.

Various methods for uniting this connecting-rod with the lever and foot-board may be employed;'that shown being an arm or hook g, projecting from the foot-board and engaging with an adjustable eye-nut, h., at the lower end of the rod F, while the upper end of the latter hooks into a hole, z', in the end of the lever. The adjustable nut 7L enables the connectingrodto be readily adapted to the closet' to which it is to be applied.'

The amount of pressure required to depress the foot-board may be regulated in twov ways: eitherl by adjusting the hooks at the upper end of the pull-rod F, in the holesa' c', so as to increase or lessen the distance of the connection from the fulcrum c, or by means of an adjustable weight, J7, on the long arm of the lever, or by both combined.

I nstead of arranging the connecting-rod F, as before described, it maybe arranged ou the opposite side of l the fulerum 'of the lever, with a pedal-leverunderneath its lower end, by which the rod is pushed up- -ward under thelong' arm, producing obviously the saine eiiect as whenit operates asa pull, at the end 'of arm C'.

The other advantages of my improvement, in addition to -those before enumerated, are its cheapuess and the facility with which it can Vbe adapted to the various water-closets already in use.

I do not claim any of the details of this apparatus;

'but'what L claim, is-

lhe combination of the lever G C', and pan and valve of a. water-closet actuated thereby, with footboai'd E, hinged in front, and the adjustable connectl ing-.rod F, when arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose hereinbethre set forth.

BENJ. It. COLE.

Witnesses JNO. J. BONNER, Vieron H.v BECKEns. 

